Should You Be Tempted To Sell People Corporation (TSXV:PEO) At Its Current Price?
People Corporation (TSXV:PEO) is trading with a trailing P/E of 109.2x, which is higher than the industry average of 33.7x. While PEO might seem like a stock to avoid or sell if you own it, it is important to understand the assumptions behind the P/E ratio before you make any investment decisions. Today, I will explain what the P/E ratio is as well as what you should look out for when using it. Check out our latest analysis for People
What you need to know about the P/E ratio
The P/E ratio is one of many ratios used in relative valuation. By comparing a stock’s price per share to its earnings per share, we are able to see how much investors are paying for each dollar of the company’s earnings.
P/E Calculation for PEO
Price-Earnings Ratio = Price per share ÷ Earnings per share
PEO Price-Earnings Ratio = 6.61 ÷ 0.061 = 109.2x
The P/E ratio isn’t a metric you view in isolation and only becomes useful when you compare it against other similar companies. Our goal is to compare the stock’s P/E ratio to the average of companies that have similar attributes to PEO, such as company lifetime and products sold. A common peer group is companies that exist in the same industry, which is what I use. PEO’s P/E of 109.2x is higher than its industry peers (33.7x), which implies that each dollar of PEO’s earnings is being overvalued by investors. Therefore, according to this analysis, PEO is an over-priced stock.
A few caveats
However, before you rush out to sell your PEO shares, it is important to note that this conclusion is based on two key assumptions. The first is that our “similar companies” are actually similar to PEO, or else the difference in P/E might be a result of other factors. For example, if you compared lower risk firms with PEO, then investors would naturally value it at a lower price since it is a riskier investment. The second assumption that must hold true is that the stocks we are comparing PEO to are fairly valued by the market. If this does not hold, there is a possibility that PEO’s P/E is lower because our peer group is overvalued by the market.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? You may have already conducted fundamental analysis on the stock as a shareholder, so its current overvaluation could signal a potential selling opportunity to reduce your exposure to PEO. Now that you understand the ins and outs of the PE metric, you should know to bear in mind its limitations before you make an investment decision.
Are you a potential investor? If PEO has been on your watch list for a while, it is best you also consider its intrinsic valuation. Looking at PE on its own will not give you the full picture of the stock as an investment, so I suggest you should also look at other relative valuation metrics like EV/EBITDA or PEG.
PE is one aspect of your portfolio construction to consider when holding or entering into a stock. But it is certainly not the only factor. Take a look at our most recent infographic report on People for a more in-depth analysis of the stock to help you make a well-informed investment decision. Since we know a limitation of PE is it doesn't properly account for growth, you can use our free platform to see my list of stocks with a high growth potential and see if their PE is still reasonable.
To help readers see pass the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned.
